Hand-carved Rubber Stamps & Giveaway!

I have enjoyed carving rubber stamps since high school...

(Over 25 years now! Yikes!)

In high school we used the hard linoleum blocks.

Today my favorite material is Speedy-Carve by Speedball.

"The pink stuff!"

I discovered a pile of rubber stamp blocks at a 2nd hand store.

In the past I have cut my own from 1" x 2" boards...

Sand the ends~

Heavy duty double sided tape keeps the stamp secure.

Most times I start my stamps with a quick sketch directly on the pink~

I left a bit of the background for an artsy look.

 For clear-edge stamps, carve your design then trim the extra.

Packaged, they make very sweet, personal & unique gifts!

Kids birthday parties, teacher gifts...

I carved a simple version of a friends new home (housewarming gift!)

and she used the stamp to make handmade  note-cards to announce her

new address & added the same stamp near her return address~

GUESS WHAT?!?

I have reached 2000+ sales in my Etsy store!!!

THANK YOU!

Celebrating with a new GIVEAWAY!!!

I will blog about it later today or tomorrow...

There will be two GIVEAWAYS!

One here on my Blog & one on my Facebook page!

Hope your week is off to a wonderful start!

Smiles to you~

Owl Theme Hand-Carved Stamps...

Sometimes I need to move away from my palette

and stand in a different position... straighten up a bit.

With traditional watercolor, an artist paints flat.

No easel or angled surface to help with back fatigue.

Puddles of color would occur!

Very pretty... but not very practical~

While I was warming my lunch yesterday...

I stood at the kitchen counter top and carved these little friends.

I have wanted to try Moo Carve. Available at hobby stores.

It is VERY soft. Many will enjoy the ease of carving...

I prefer the pink carving medium I have previously blogged about.

I've been trying to purchase a Staedtler carving block.

The Staedtler consistency is similar to a white art eraser.

It is a very popular product... frequently sold out.

More owl designs will be in my Etsy shop tonight~

Thank you for all of your sweet comments... they mean so much!

Hope your Friday is sunny and warm!

Carved Stamps...

Somewhere in the hustle and bustle of the holidays~

I was playing.

I'm sure there was a list of things needing attention...

Maybe it was the day the roast was very dry?

Distraction is the cause of many a dry or burnt meals!

Or maybe I was playing on the day set aside to dust...

Ah, keep the lights down low if someone stops by!

Laundry piles indicate I was busy with "other" chores...


When I was in high school I enjoyed Linoleum Printing.
Carving those slippery, tough blocks...
Who needed aerobics?
By the time I had a design hacked out
I was sweatin'!

Through the years they have manufactured the
linoleum in a softer block... I prefer these new
ultra-soft carve blocks for little fun projects that
keep me from my housework.
I could however use the aerobic workout (giggle)


There are several soft products...
Some artists even use white erasers~

Tools n' such

I draw on the block with a soft pencil.

Working in negative space is fun!

Simply leave what you want to print~

Most craft stores carry a starter kit.

Many of the tips and one Speedball tool are from my

college supply box... they haven't changed much.

Hope your weekend is wonderful!

Handmade, Artist Signed Jounals...

(The large size journals...)

The only thing more fun than cracking open a new
journal and discovering empty palettes~
To write on...
Sketch on...
Capture memories & thoughts...
Creative ideas...
A place to tape in feathers & flowers...

IS MAKING THEM!!!

I LOVE to make journals!
Surrounded by vintage books that I snip images from~
Mounds and heaps of rubber stamps that I have
collected for over 20 years...
Postage stamps from around the world...
AND
Prints from my original watercolors and
pen and ink illustrations!

Each journal is different because the ephemera
is all original. The old dictionary snippets,
garden book illustrations... word sentences...
Rare postage stamps from around the world!

Each journal has similar stamped pages...

Each journal is bird themed!
My feathered friends and I spent this
entire week together!

Many of you have asked about copies of my
watercolors~ I am researching the best way
to have my originals reproduced. I want to provide
a quality print~ without a big price...
I hope to have color prints available this fall.

One of my favorite covers...

More peeks...

Example of the black and white prints...

Three of my favorite stamps put together!

Dictionary snip with a stamp...

(The medium size journals...)

Moleskine journals have smooth, off-white pages.
Acid free product with an inner back pocket.
I have added a favorite quote on the back pocket,
signed and dated each one...
I am going to list all eleven of these in my Etsy store!
More detailed photographs of the covers will
be on the individual listings... other details, too!

Hope your Friday is off to a great start!
Wishing you all the best~

Carved Stamps...

I've left the ink on my new carved stamps
so that you can see the detail & compare
the stamp to the images below~

I use all Speedball products for the carving.
I also use my Xacto knife with different tips.
They're sold at the local craft stores
near the fine arts area.

StazOn Inks are nice quality.
Smooth stamp pad & no bleeding.

Some of the tools...
I'll try to take photos of one in progress~

When I use black ink it's so easy to put
in all types of details...
I keep the stamp simple so it could
have more than one use & then detail in pen.

The little 60's icon & star~
I load the stamp once, then make a
second & third impression...
The carving material holds the ink just like
store bought stamps.

The square with the 3 leaves would look nice
as a corner design...can keep turning it~

Two different Speedball carving materials.
One is white (little crumbly, but easy to carve)
I prefer the pink...it takes a bit more effort,
but I love the sturdy results with fine details.

Now I have to go clean them!
I use the stamp cleaner you can purchase
anywhere you buy rubber stamps.

Hope you give this a try!
Be sure to click on Diane Knott's link~
she made a beautiful one yesterday!